To maintain a well-groomed lawn it is necessary to periodically fertilize and aerate the lawn, to cut the grass frequently, and to remove debris such as grass clippings, pinestraw and leaves. Many devices have been developed to assist in caring for lawns. For instance, power lawn mowers and weed eaters make cutting the grass a relatively inarduous task. Aerators likewise simplify the task of aerating the lawn. The application of fertilizers, lime or seed to the lawn is made easy by broadcast spreaders and drop spreaders. However, for most Americans, the task of raking the lawn is as arduous today as it ever was.
Devices are known which decrease the frequency at which the lawn must be raked. Lawn mowers come equipped with bags which gather clippings. Also, blowers powered by gasoline engines have recently been introduced which use air to sweep the lawn free of leaves. None of these devices, however, have completely supplanted the lawn rake or eliminated the necessity for its use.